{"product_id":"american-spy-9780349700984","title":"American Spy","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA BARACK OBAMA SUMMER READING PICKSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 CENTRE FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZELONGLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN'A whole lot more than just a spy thriller, wrapping together the ties of family, of love and of country' BARACK OBAMA'There has never been anything like it' MARLON JAMES (GQ)'A compelling read' MAIL ON SUNDAY'Brilliant Cold War spy thriller. A gripping tale and an unusual take on the spy genre told from an intriguing perspective'  HWA DEBUT CROWN JUDGES'Pacy and very exciting' DAILY TELEGRAPH__________________________________What if your sense of duty required you to betray the man you love? It's 1986, the heart of the Cold War. Marie Mitchell is an intelligence officer with the FBI. She's brilliant and talented, but she's also a black woman working in an all-white boys' club, and her career has stalled with routine paperwork - until she's recruited to a shadowy task force aimed at undermining Thomas Sankara, the charismatic, revolutionary president of Burkina Faso, whose Communist ideology has made him a target for American intervention.   In the year that follows, Marie will observe Thomas, seduce him, and ultimately, have a hand in the coup that will bring him down. But doing so will change everything she believes about what it means to be a spy, a lover, and a good American.   'A stunning book' PAUL BEATTY'Intelligent and propulsive' GUARDIAN 'A spy thriller like you've never read before' TIME\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA whole lot more than just a spy thriller\u003c\/b\u003e, wrapping together the ties of family, of love and of country -- Barack Obama\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy\u003c\/i\u003e updates the espionage thriller with blazing originality\u003c\/b\u003e * Entertainment Weekly *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fresh perspective.\u003c\/b\u003e Marie Mitchell, a black female spy, goes on a mission to track down Thomas Sankara, the African Che Guevara, and has to choose between love, her family and her country * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eThis debut gives a distinctive spin on the spy novel . . . \u003cb\u003eA compelling read\u003c\/b\u003e * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eWilkinson paints a convincing and lively portrait of this fascinating real-life figure. A non-privileged protagonist in this poshest of genres is rare enough to make that the USP, but by any standards this is a fine thriller, thoughtful and dryly witty, richly textured and, when required, \u003cb\u003epacy and very exciting\u003c\/b\u003e * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA novel that will snatch your summer away. \u003cb\u003eThere has never been anything like it\u003c\/b\u003e, and not because of the Black female spy telling the story, but the kind of story it is:\u003cb\u003e espionage thriller, African political drama, wild romance and doomed family epic\u003c\/b\u003e -- Marlon James * GQ *\u003cbr\u003eIf your idea of a cold war thriller is a 'white saviour' hero with conservative values rescuing the world from the Soviet menace, think again: \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy\u003c\/i\u003e, Lauren Wilkinson's intelligent and pacy debut set against the background of a real coup d'état, injects new life into this tired formula . . . this is \u003cb\u003ea complex, powerful story of divided loyalties, double consciousness and moral ambiguity\u003c\/b\u003e * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eEchoing the stoic cynicism of Hurston and Ellison, and the verve of Conan Doyle, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy \u003c\/i\u003elays our complicities-political, racial, and sexual-bare. \u003cb\u003ePacked with unforgettable characters, it's a stunning book, timely as it is timeless\u003c\/b\u003e * Paul Beatty, Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn intelligent and propulsive debut tackles issues of politics, race, gender and moral ambiguity \u003c\/b\u003ein a tale of espionage that moves between black FBI agent Marie Mitchell's 1960s New York childhood, her involvement in the 1987 Burkina Faso coup d'etat as a CIA operative and her retreat to Martinique in 1992 * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eIt might seem hyperbolic to say that this book is \u003cb\u003eriveting and thrilling from the very first page\u003c\/b\u003e, except that it totally is. . . . It's \u003cb\u003ea refreshing take on an espionage story\u003c\/b\u003e . . . that's sexy and suspenseful in equal measure * Marie Claire *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe genre-breaking spy story\u003c\/b\u003e . . . If this isn't made into a film\/HBO series then there's something wrong with the world. Written with verve and detail, this is a fantastic thriller that explores the black experience in Reagan's America, the personal vs political of serving your country and just who is on the side of righteousness * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSo much fun... Like the best of John le Carré, it's extremely tough to put down\u003c\/b\u003e * NPR *\u003cbr\u003eMitchell is an engaging, complex protagonist: feisty and brave but also vulnerable. The story is told in the first person; Wilkinson takes us inside Mitchell's head, which is an interesting place to be. The scenes of New York and African life are sharply observed, the narrative often lyrical. \u003cb\u003eThis is an impressive debut, with a multi-faceted and engaging protagonist\u003c\/b\u003e * Financial Times *\u003cbr\u003eFor the novel's engaging intelligence and serious reckoning with the world's postwar order, Wilkinson deserves the comparisons to John le Carré she's already receiving. But in bringing a virtually unheard-from fictional viewpoint to espionage literature, \u003cb\u003eshe has reinvigorated the genre\u003c\/b\u003e * Time *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA gutsy new thriller \u003c\/b\u003e. . . challenging boundaries is what brave fiction does, and Wilkinson proves confident enough to carry it off * New York Times *\u003cbr\u003eLauren Wilkinson reminds us of a less-covered side of the Cold War with her debut set in 1986 Africa. FBI agent Marie Mitchell is stationed in Burkina Faso, and \u003cb\u003ewhen she's assigned to shadow Thomas Sankara, 'Africa's Che Guevara,' the personal, political and professional collide for her in unforgettable ways\u003c\/b\u003e * Washington Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy \u003c\/i\u003eis by turns \u003cb\u003esuspenseful, tender, and funny, always smart and searingly honest\u003c\/b\u003e. Lauren Wilkinson renders the world of spies with vivacity and depth, and shines a penetrating light on what it's like to be a black woman in America. But\u003cb\u003e like all great novels, this one teaches us most about ourselves and our values\u003c\/b\u003e * Sara Novic, author of Girl at War *\u003cbr\u003eThe endurance of the Mitchell family is inspiring, and their portrayal is vivid and sound. With \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy \u003c\/i\u003ethe plot is gentler than other books you may read under the espionage genre. This serves as an effective and thoughtful book tackling less James-Bond style action, instead focusing on the more grounded issues of gender and racial divisions that still exist today * Magic FM (Book club) *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA most unusual espionage story\u003c\/b\u003e . . . An exciting historical thriller is combined with a novel about whether a black woman can be a 'good American' as well as true to herself * Morning Star *\u003cbr\u003eLauren Wilkinson's debut, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy\u003c\/i\u003e, is \u003cb\u003ea spy novel with a difference\u003c\/b\u003e. Wilkinson brilliantly recreates the confusions, anarchy and self-contradiction of the US's clandestine involvement in African affairs * Irish Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is a true thriller of a read from Lauren Wilkinson\u003c\/b\u003e * Pride Magazine *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA smart page-turner that gives the genre a welcome shot in the arm\u003c\/b\u003e * The i *\u003cbr\u003eWritten with considerable grace and insight, this is \u003cb\u003ea remarkable and groundbreaking spy thriller\u003c\/b\u003e * Irish Independent *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003eunusual\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eintelligent\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003ecompassionate \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003ethoroughly original\u003c\/b\u003e * Shots magazine *\u003cbr\u003e[In] this genre-defying novel . . . Marie's journey into the moral and spiritual morass of espionage is inventive . . . Unlike the heroes of John Le Carré's novels, Marie must also grapple with the cognitive dissonance of serving a country in which she is regarded as a second-class citizen * Vulture (Best Books of 2019 So Far) *\u003cbr\u003e[A] romantically offbeat mix of fiction and fact * Peterborough Evening Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eThis unflinching debut combines the espionage novels of\u003cb\u003e John le Carré\u003c\/b\u003e with the racial complexity of \u003cb\u003eRalph Ellison's \u003ci\u003eInvisible Man\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e * Publishers Weekly *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eextraordinary \u003c\/b\u003edebut . . . \u003cb\u003ea truly impressive, suspenseful bit of work\u003c\/b\u003e * The Tablet *\u003cbr\u003eAn often challenging but rewarding read that'll keep you taut and on your toes from a range of angles * Sunday Sport *\u003cbr\u003eWilkinson paints a convincing and lively portrait of this fascinating real-life figure . . . [\u003ci\u003eAmerican Spy \u003c\/i\u003eis] a fine thriller, thoughtful and drily witty, richly textured and, when required, \u003cb\u003epacy and very exciting\u003c\/b\u003e * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eSpy fiction plus allegory, and a splash of pan-Africanism. What could go wrong? As it happens, very little.\u003cb\u003e Clever, bracing, darkly funny and really, really good\u003c\/b\u003e -- Ta-Nehisi Coates\u003cbr\u003eLauren Wilkinson \u003cb\u003ereclaimed the espionage thriller\u003c\/b\u003e with her gripping, pawky American Spy, which has an African-American heroine instead of the usual posh, white men * Telegraph (Best crime novels and thrillers to buy for Christmas) *\u003cbr\u003eSexism and racism complicate Cold War and familial secrets in this unusual and fast-paced debut * The Times (Best Thriller Books of 2019) *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnusual and fast-paced\u003c\/b\u003e * The Times (Best thriller books of 2019) *\u003cbr\u003eOften, spy thrillers evoke familiar comforts, if also images of dusty covers and yellowed pages. But Lauren Wilkinson, while returning to a classic era (the Cold War), manages to\u003cb\u003e reinvigorate the genre\u003c\/b\u003e by following a character we haven't seen before * TIME *\u003cbr\u003eBlending fact and fiction, this i\u003cb\u003entelligent and fresh \u003c\/b\u003etake on the spy genre \u003cb\u003etackles race, loyalty and American politics\u003c\/b\u003e * Sunday Times Crime Club (Crime books of the year) *","brand":"Dialogue","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47833140822359,"sku":"9780349700984","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780349700984.jpg?v=1710342883","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/american-spy-9780349700984","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}